Sabel Skies HGRW
by ApprenticeEnchante
Summary: Being prefects is hard enough, especially with the Dark Lord on the run. But this time, his wearabouts are not known, but he has made a vital mistake, that could cost him all the power he just gained. Can Hermione and Ron rise up to defeat him in time?
1. How Could You'

'Ron, how could you?" Hermione squealed, as she tore down the steps leading to the lake. It was a crisp fall morning and her bronze hair shone like gold in the mid-morning sun. Ron Weasly and Harry Potter, her two best friends panted behind her, unsuccesfully trying to keep up with her fast pace.

"Hermione, I was only kidding, Bloody hell!" Ron cried, trying to get her to slow down. His attempts proved vain, as Hermione only sped up, trying to get as far away from those two as humanly possible.

"You LIAR! How could you say something like that, I-i argh!" She began to cry, tears spilling down the front of her robes, slowing her down just enough to let Ron catch her. Putting on a burst of speed, Ron ran up to Hermonie, his long gangly legs giving him an advantage over her. He grabbed her wrist, firmly yet gently as to not leave a mark, and pulled her to a stop. Harry puffed his way up the slight incline by Hagrid's hut, coming to a stop right in front of Hermione.

"Gosh, Hermione, he didn't _mean _it. Calm down, and please stop running!" Harry panted, reffering to the scene that had just occured in the Great hall at breakfast.

"NO," She yelled, prying her hand loose from Ron's grip. " I don't BELIEVE you, I thought you were my friend, all these years and-" Hermione started to rant but was cut off by Ron's interjection.

"Hermione! Didn't you see me wink at Fred and George when I said you were a bushy-haired know-it-all? Do you really think I would say those things?" Ron bursted out, Hermione swept her head upward so she was looking up at Ron's face.

"But, but what about, you said I was a mudblood, I heard you, you were standing around the Slytherin table, and-and I heard you say it." She said, tears threatening to fall from her light brown eyes. Ron gaped, staring open mouthed at her, not believeing a word she said.

"Hermione, I wasn't- I-I didn't call you that. Malfoy had been making fun of you, you know, about how smart you are and stuff, and I just had to get my say in. I asked him if he was afraid that the little mudblood, as he calls you, had shown him up in all of his o.w.l.'s." Hermione blushed. Ron thought she was smart, as she thought of Ron,her stomach did a small flip. Ron, with his bright orange hair, and constant clumsiness. There was just something about him that made her feel different, that made her shy. Her face as red as a beet, from sheer embarassment, Hermione choked out a few words, despite her steady flow of tears.

"I- oh." She sputtered out, covering her face with her hands, she looked at the ground. After a few seconds, she sniffed and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her robe. Looking up again, Hermione found herself looking directly into Ron's eyes. She quickly averted her gaze, looking down at her own tie.

"See, no harm done. Um..guys, I gotta go back up to the castle, sorry but I have some business to attend to.. .er," Harry cleared his throat and cast Ron a meaningful glance. "So I'll talk to you later, by Hermione." He said, patting his friend on the back and trudging up the stairs again, the great oak doors swinging open to meet him.

Hermione's gaze followed Harry's footsteps but returned to Ron's face when he had gone. Looking down towards his collar, not being able to meet his gaze. Hermione gulped and then looked up into Ron's face, using every ounce of strength she had to look him in the eye.

"Thank you . I mean for standing up for me to Malfoy. It was-" She didn't finish her sentance, Ron looked down at her, his eyes glinting in the sunshine. A small smile played at his face, yet the tips of his ears were plainly pink.

"Welcome. But, um.. did you really think that I would call you a mudblood?" He asked, biting his lower lip, a searching look upon his face. Hermione didn't know what to say, well she did know, but what if it came out the wrong way? There were many things she wasn't sure about with Ron, but she always knew he was her friend. Taking a deep breath, Hermione exhaled and looked over Ron's shoulder, at the gigantic pumpkins growing in Hagrid's pumpkin patch.

"No, um.....I didn't even think that you would call me a mudblood either. I just, I guess he was just getting so on my nerves, and there's all this stress right now, with the N.E.W.T.S. next year and all, I just wasn't really thinking." Hermione could hear Ron let out a sigh of relief. Her stomache gave that twisting, flipping sensation again, making her heartbeat two times faster. Looking up, Hermione saw Ron's eyes on her, yet when she looked upon his astounded face, he quickly looked away.

"Wait, did you just say you weren't _thinking_? Hermione Granger, genius extrordiaire , was not thinking for one second? OH, the horror." Ron made a gagging sound as if he was dieing, only to be slapped in the back of the head by something that felt oodly like a backpack.

'OUCH!" He said, ducking another blow from Hermione's bookbag. When he looked back at her, Ron realized that she was laughing, her sides heaving with exhaustion and laughter.

"That wasn't very nice mister, you may not know it but I am not always thinking about schoolwork, a lot of the time I'm to busy concentrating on other more important things like-"Hermione stopped herself. _Other important things like you,_ she almost said. Hermione didn't know what she would have done if that had slipped out, everything would be a wreck. He could never know that, not unless he liked her. Like that'll ever happen Granger, Hermione thought to herself, not trusting herself to keep her composure while thinking what would happen if he did.

Straightening up, she looked up at Ron before walking off, over towards the lake, not wanting to go inside on a fine October day like this. Behind her Hermione heard the sounds of Ron coming up behind her, his long legs gaining ground, bringing him to stride right next to her. Out of her Peripheral Vision, she saw him absentmindedly running his hands through his short, orange-red hair, occasionally pulling out a stray leaf here and there.

His hair almost exactly matched the orange of the leaves he was pulling out, Hermione chuckled silently at the thought. She had always been mesmirised by his hair, how could it be so orange? Sure Susan Bones had red hair, but no one Hermione had ever seen had had actual _orange_ hair like the Weasley's. For three long years she had yearned to run her hands through his roughly cut hair, wondering what it felt like. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts Hermione became increasingly aware of how close Ron was to her. His arm brushed against her's once in awhile, making the little hairs on the back of her neck prickle. Everytime this happened, Hermione could feel herself growing steadily redder, imagining that soon she would be as bright red as a real tomato, she moved a tiny bit to the left, continuing to walk in her constant direction, towards the lake.


	2. HagridWait! Whats with McGonagall'

DISCLAIMER: I forgot to do this in my first chapter...no i do not own Harry Potter. and if i did, do you really think i'd be on here????? dies thinking about the actors in hp movies R/R!!!!!!! and i will love you forever!

Shielding his eyes with one strong hand, Ron stopped his stride and turned to face the opposite bank of the lake. He let out a sigh and flopped down onto the soft, springy, yet cold grass. It was covered in a shimmery frost that seemed to make every blade sparkle with a tiny light. Ron stared over and out across the lake, which was placid with calmness, the giant squid for once not disturbing its inky waters. Hermione walked over to where Ron sat, looking down as if she didn't want to interrupt his peace by intruding. She did however sit down and join him, having seen his hand pop out of his robe pocket and beckon her to come and sit with him.

It was peaceful, just sitting there with her friend, enjoying the crisp autumn air. Hermione breathed in deeply, inhaling the sweet smell of newly crunched laves and vegetables being harvested. It reminded her of her Grandfathers old farm, to which she hadn't been since she was seven.

"It seems odd doesn't it, not seeing Hagrid around here I mean. I wonder what he's doing about the giants, even if they're listening to him. Do you think that old insane giant is still the Gurg?" Ron asked, laughing as he said the word 'gurg'. He was referring to the Gurg of the giants that attacked Hagrid and Madam Maxime last year, while they were there trying to see if the giants would be on our side, or if they had already teamed up with Voldemort.

"Who will carve the pumpkins? Think about it, who'll bring in all twelve giant fir trees for Christmas this year, without him here?" Hermione thought aloud. She had stayed over at Hogwarts for the holidays almost all six years she had been there, with the exception of her first year and then last year, when Mr.Weasley had been admitted into St. Mungo's hospital because he had gotten bitten by Voldemort's snake, while on gaurd duty for the Order of the Pheonix. Every year, there was always twelve humongus fir trees lined up in the Great Hall, compleatly covered with beautiful decorations all the way from lit candles to real live fairies. Now there probably wouldn't be any abnormaly large Christmas trees in the hall on Christmas morning, or huge floating jack-o-lanterns on Halloween, and all because Hagrid wasn't here. They both couldn't imagine what life at Hogwarts would be like without Hagrid.

"I don't know." Ron whispered back, closing his eyes and laying back in the grass. "I just hope he comes back." Hermione looked back on some of the fond memories they had shared with Hagrid. There was the day in her first year when they had watched Norbert being born, the baby Norwegian Ridgeback dragon knocking itself out of it's shell had been an amazing sight. More and more memories flooded back to her as the minutes ticked past, a lovely, comforting breeze floating in off of the water. Then she remembered something that had happened earlier that day, that had absolutely nothing to do with Hagrid.

"Ron, not to be rude, but what was the er, business Harry said he had to do?" Hermione asked, not meaning to pry. It was just usual for her to know these kinds of things. Never before had either of the boys kept anything from her, she knew all their secrets, all of their bad habits, things they would be afraid to show their crushes or tell anyone else. She could sense Ron tensing up, underneath her gaze.

"It-its nothing Hermione, just stuff." He made a weird strangled sound, his ears turning tickle-me-pink.

"No, its not. Ron I can tell it's not just anything normal, something is wrong. Why won't you tell me?" Hermione asked, getting slightly worried. They never kept anything from her, at least nothing she didn't know of. Plus Ron's face was so readable, she could always tell when he was lying. He turned a shade of red Herrmione had never seen, his mouth pursed, and stared up into the clear sky, only to get hit on the nose with a giant raindrop.

After a few minutes, the rain started to really pour, the leaves twinkling as the sun caught the raindrops in its light, acting as tiny prisms causing a rainbow to float above the dark lake. It suddenly grew dark, and the wind picked up, causing Hermione's hair to flap about her, wrapping around her face and catching in her mouth. The waves on the lake increased rapidly, the crests reaching as high as Hermione's shoulder. Sensing the danger, Ron grabbed her by the hand and raced towards the castle, pulling Hermione along with him. It was a few moments before Hermione registered that her hand was in his. A warm sensation spread throughout her body, making her shiver with delight. His hand felt warm and comforting, but soon it was over and they ran safetly into the doors of the castle, shutting out the gale behind them.

Hermione felt Ron's hand release hers, and she shook her head, trying to warm up again and get the feeling of regret out of her mind.

'You alright? I'm sorry, I almost pulled you off your feet, but I was afraid one of us was going to get knocked into the lake.' Ron said, shaking the water out of his eyes.

'I'm fine. Gosh the weather changed so fast.' Hermione said, wishing Ron still held her hand. She shook out her robes, getting the slippery stone floor of the entrance hall drenched. Ron nodded and exhaled, he had been holding his breath once they got inside, hoping she wasn't mad at him for grabbing her hand. He was relieved to have a reason to hold her hand, however long it lasted.

Suddenly, a loud voice filled the corridors, causing both of them to jump, Hermione grabbing onto Ron's arm.

'All Prefects please report to the Headmaster's office immediately. I repeat, all Prefects please report to the Headmaster's office immediately.' Professor McGonagall's shrill voice barked out the orders.


	3. Slugs and Maturity

DISCLAIMER I don't own harry potter, wish i did, but i dont. HOWEVER this idea is my own, well the idea of the storyline...for this fan fic. Thanks for the rate, and please, if you read it RATE!!!!!...love y'all!!!!

Thanks for waiting so long for chapter 3!!!!

**_CHAPTER 3:_**

**All Prefects please report to the Headmaster's office immediately. I repeat, all Prefects please report to the Headmaster's office immediately.' Professor McGonagall's shrill voice barked out the orders. **

Hermione looked up at Ron, she then noticed how close she was to him, her arms wrapped around his.

Ron stared down at her arm, Hermione's knuckles were white from hanging on so hard. He turned a shade of red and Hermione stepped back, dropping her hands. Ron couldn't help but smile and wonder at her embarrassed look.

'We have to go.' Hermione panted out, her voice wavering.

'Yeah, yeah we should.' Ron said, his voice small and almost a mumble.

They started up the giant stone staircase, heading up towards the second floor, where the gargoyle stood in front of the entrance to Professor Dumbledore's office.

Almost all of the Prefects from the other Houses were already there. Ron could see Hannah, Ernie and the Ravenclaw Prefects, but not Malfoy and Parkingson.

_Where are they?_ He thought, _probably snogging somewhere, or else trying to fit Malfoy's fat head through their common room doorway_. Ron snorted at the thought, causing Hermione to look at him as if he were nuts.

_Gosh, he even looks adorable when he snorts_, Hermione thought. She looked over at the bronze gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Professor Dumbledore's office and study. Last time she had been here, the password had been lemon drop, she wondered what it was now when her thoughts were interrupted by a cold drawl coming from behind her.

'Ah, if its not the little bush head and the weasel king.' Draco Malfoy's icy voice said, attempting to make fun of the two. Hermione whipped her head around, to see Pansy and Malfoy, standing side by side, arms crossed in front of them. Hermione couldn't help but smile, the two looked so fake. They tried to look menacing, yet they were just the opposite.

'Eat slugs, Malfoy.' She saw Ron move in between Malfoy and her, blocking his view. Hermione watched Ron's back as she waited for Malfoy to say something again, to counter Ron's statement.

'Oh, if I remember correctly, it was YOU who ate the slugs last time .' Malfoy's voice was venomous as he spat out the last words. "And anyways, I'm surprised you still don't eat them, considering that they're probably the finest food you've ever had."

"YOU LITTLE-"Ron moved forward, whipping his wand out and causing Pansy to back away.

"Ron, no!" I cried, reaching forward and grabbing his wrist. He tugged it out of her grasp.

'Hermione, stop it,' Ron said, raising his wand. 'didn't you_ hear_ him? He-'

"Yeah, mudblood, listen to the weasel. Let him defend himself and his poor little family.' Malfoy said, Pansy doubling over in laughter behind him. Hermione clenched her teeth, knowing that she had to keep a civil tongue. She stepped up beside Ron, but he put his arm out, blocking her way. He looked over at her and nodded back towards the wall, signaling for her to back away.

'You'll pay for that one Malfoy, one day, but I'm a prefect, and aren't about to stoop so low as to hex you inside the corridor. I'll wait to just knock you off your broom during quidditch." Ron said, smirking at Draco and turning back to Hermione.

Hermione was astonished. Ron had grown up over the summer, really, he was acting much more mature. She was surprised that he would not give in like that, when he would have been ready to fight with his bare hands a year ago. Ron must have seen her face, because the tips of his ears sightly tinged pink, while wanting to smile, he kept his face serious and secretive.

Hermione stood there, gapping at him, when she heard footsteps advancing on them from around the corner.

'Ah, you're all here then, well, go on then step up to the gargoyle.' Professor McGonagall's voice rang loudly through the hallway.

'Oh yes, Peppermint toads.' As soon as McGonagall said he password the old bronze statue sprang to life, moving aside to reveal a small staircase, spiraling up into a tower.

Hermione and Ron stepped up behind a timid looking Ernie and Hannah, and watched as the marble revolved slowly, taking them upward towards a large oak door. It had a wrought iron knocker in the shape of a magnificent bird, a pheonix. Professor McGonagall walked up and gently pushed her way through the small crowd and rapped swiftly with the knocker. The door swung in with the squeak of un-oiled hinges and Hermione sucked in a small breath, staring into the darkened room.


End file.
